


(Not) Alone

by Aida



Series: 30 Day AU Challenge [28]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mentioned Character Death, Orphanage, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:10:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aida/pseuds/Aida
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the loss of his parents, Bilbo is sent to The Last Homely House.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Not) Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, I'm submitting this the next day, though it seems rather quick (YAY INSOMNIA AHAHA -Cries-).
> 
> It's a bit rushed, a bit sad, but it as Bilbo and Fíli being adorable, so I hope that kinda makes up for it.

Bilbo looked out the window, watching the trees fly past as Mister Elrond continued driving along. It had been a rather quiet drive, and he appreciated it. He didn’t feel like talking about much. Hadn’t for a while. 

Ever since his parents died, and none of his relatives showed up to take him in, he had nothing to say. He didn’t really want to bother the grown-ups much, anyway. 

They took a turn and, feeling tired of watching the trees and a little carsick, he curled up in his seat a little, staring at the floor of the car.

“We’re almost there, Bilbo.” Mister Elrond assured. “Just a little longer.”

He didn’t say anything, just shifted a little. Mister Elrond did say that the place they were taking him was nice, with huge fields to play in, and people who were really nice. He didn’t care about any of it. He didn’t want to be given to someone else. He wanted to be with his parents. 

He didn’t want to be alone.

The car stopped, and Bilbo waited for Mister Elrond to put the car in park before undoing his seatbelt and wriggling out of the backseat of the car. He dragged his bag with him, shutting the door, and only then did he take in exactly how large the place was. 

He had always thought his old home was rather big, having been built by his father to accommodate a large family. This place, however, was _huge_.

“Elrond!”

Bilbo jumped, then flushed when a tall woman walked down the steps, smiling wide and glossy hair tied back into place. He thought back on the stories his mother would read to him about knights fighting dragons, all to save a princess, and he idly wondered if the woman greeting Mister Elrond was a princess herself. She was rather pretty like one. 

“Bilbo,” Master Elrond addressed, and he shuffled a little on his feet when the two adults stared down at him. “This is Miss Gale Adriel. She’s the owner of The Last Homely House, and you’ll be under her care.”

“Hello, Bilbo,” She greeted, kneeling down. “I hope you’ll be happy here, at least until you find a family of your own.”

He didn’t think anyone would adopt him. His relatives wanted nothing to do with him, why would anyone else? “O-Okay…”

She touched his shoulder and stood, and Bilbo didn’t fight it, even as they continued to talk. He even allowed her to lead him inside. 

When Mister Elrond left him with her, he wasn’t at all afraid. He merely watched as he drove away, waving a little when he saw Miss Adriel do the same.

“Come,” She said, ushering Bilbo inside. “I’ll be giving you a tour, and then I’ll show you your room, where you’ll undoubtedly meet your roommate.”

The Last Homely House seemed nice enough. There were other grown-ups around who smiled at him as they past, and there were other children, and some looked as sad as he felt. The others pointedly ignored him. There were large playrooms, a large dining hall and bath, with open windows where you could hear the birds chirping. 

Eventually, Miss Adriel took him to the residency hall, the one place Bilbo dreaded going. For it would cement the reality he was in now. Not to mention he’d meet the boy he was bunking with. Someone who was certain to hate him.

“Here we are,” Miss Adriel said, opening the door as Bilbo heard rustling inside. “And, look! Fíli’s here!”

Bilbo looked up, seeing curious blue eyes staring down at him from the top bunk of a bunk bed.

“Fíli, this is Bilbo Baggins, you’re new bunk buddy.” She informed, and Bilbo bit back a snort at the term “bunk buddy”. “Bilbo, this is Fíli. I expect you boys to be nice to each other, and Fíli? Don’t rope Bilbo into your little schemes.”

The boy, Fíli, blinked at her. “I wasn’t gonna do nothing!”

“ _Weren’t_ going to do _anything_.” She corrected as she stepped out the room and grabbing the door. “And see that you don’t.”

The door shut and Bilbo fidgeted a little under Fíli’s gaze.

“You’re new, ain’tcha?” He finally asked.

“Yes, of course I am.” Bilbo answered softly. “This is my first time being here.”

Fíli scoffed a little. “I meant ‘new in the system’.” He explained. “You weren’t abandoned too long ago, were you?”

Something sharp went through him and he glared at Fíli. “I wasn’t abandoned!” He cried, trying not to raise his voice too much so Miss Adriel wouldn’t come running. “It’s… I just wasn’t.”

Fíli must’ve noticed something since, instead of pressing the issue, he flopped back down on the bed. “Anyway, I have permanent claim to this top bunk, seeing as I was here first. Bottom drawers are free. Use them as you wish.”

He didn’t move to the drawers right away, hesitating to see if Fíli would say anything else. He didn’t, and Bilbo was a little grateful. He had a feeling that they shared the same mindset: Don’t get attached to anyone. They’ll be gone, and you’ll be left all alone again. Right where you started.

**xxx**

Fire. Heat. There were screams and tears. 

He couldn’t see, couldn’t _breathe_. Everything he touched burned him. (He still had the scars).

He couldn’t find them. Couldn’t get to them. (No one could).

Mother. Father.

They couldn’t save them.

They left them to _burn_.

(Both had been long dead, even before the man started the fire.)

“Bilbo!”

The boy jolted awake in his bed, trembling and damp with sweat and tears on his face. A sob slipped past his lips and he covered them with his hand. There was a gentle pressure on his shoulder, and he looked to see Fíli staring at him, looking a little terrified himself.

“M’sorry I woke you…” Bilbo muttered, something learned from waking everyone up with his nightmares.

“It’s fine. Wasn’t sleeping.” Fíli said, brushing it off as he hesitated in taking a seat on the bed with Bilbo. “You… You had a really bad dream, didn’t you?”

He nodded, and Fíli’s lips pursed a little. “You wanna talk about it?”

Bilbo didn’t, not really. He never did. Never wanted to voice out loud what had happened the night he lost most of the feeling in his hands. How he lost his parents.

“I wasn’t abandoned.” He muttered. “My… my parents died. Killed. In a fire.”

He hid his head between his knees, eyes burning and shoulders shaking. He didn’t want to make Fíli freak out and call the adults. He didn’t want them to come. 

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

“Wha-? No!” Bilbo hissed, watching as Fíli stood. “No, I don’t want to go to a grown-up! Please! I’ll be fine, I promise, I-!”

“Easy, there!” Fíli cut in. “I’m not going to any of the grown-ups! Nosy as they are.”

Bilbo frowned. “Then… Wha…?”

“Just follow me.”

Warily, Bilbo stood as well, watching as Fíli climbed the ladder to his bed. He didn’t quite understand until the blonde looked back down and tilted his head, urging him to follow. Cautious, he climbed the ladder as well, hunching over when he got to the top and sliding into place next to the boy when he scooted over. Once in place, Fíli reached over and slid a set of bars over the gap, securing them.

“There!” Fíli crowed. “Now we can see everything from up here!”

“A-Are you sure…?” He started, watching as Fíli settled back down.

“Yeah. I know what it can be like, with the nightmares and all.” He explained. “It’s cramped, sure, but sometimes… we gotta stick together. Especially to keep the nightmares and grown-ups away.”

Bilbo couldn’t fight the smile that played on his lips, the fight becoming impossible when Fíli returned it.

“Besides, the top bunk is always the best.”

He giggled, for the first time in what felt like ages, and didn’t care that Fíli’s arm flopped down across his chest. 

“Go to sleep.” He urged. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

It took a while for Bilbo to go to sleep, but the warmth that Fíli seemed to radiate helped a great deal. In no time, his eyes grew heavy and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

And when he woke up, Fíli was still there.

“Early riser!” He had groused as Bilbo inadvertently woke him. “But I told you so.”

**xxx**

Bilbo didn’t think he would ever have a friend. Even before his parents died, he was picked on and bullied by neighbors, classmates, even cousins. Afterward, he felt for sure that no one would want him as a friend.

He was glad to be wrong. Even moreso when his friend was Fíli.

It was a begrudged acquaintance at first. As roommates and such, they were both hesitant on crossing that line, not knowing when one of them would be taken away. But they crossed it, and Bilbo didn’t care. 

Fíli seemed just as happy as he was. They played together, did schoolwork together. They even stole cookies together when the three chefs in the kitchen were too distracted exchanging recipes for game meat. 

Of course, such a friendship wasn’t an easy friendship. Bilbo still had nightmares, and tried to keep them from Fíli since he couldn’t keep crawling up to the top bunk every night. He still managed to wake him up and have him get frustrated more over the fact that Bilbo didn’t tell him rather than his lack of sleep. Fíli himself wasn’t an easy friend. It was hard to get close to him, such a thing possibly caused by what had happened make him wind up in an orphanage in the first place.

“It’s hard.” Fíli said. “Especially when it’s happened before.”

“What’s happened before?”

The blonde shrugged, tugging at the grass next to him. “You become friends, get close, then one of you gets adopted. Sure, there are promises to stay in touch, but they never do.”

Bilbo frowned, for he did think of that. In fact, it scared him. Being friends with Fíli had made him feel comforted and not-so-alone. Both feelings he had been chasing for a long time. 

“When…” He muttered, staring at his lap. “When you get adopted, will you promise to stay in touch with me?”

Fíli scoffed, and Bilbo flinched before he continued. “What makes you think you won’t get adopted first?”

Now it was Bilbo’s turn to scoff. “I had other family, you know.” He explained, something he hadn’t told Fíli, and in fact hadn’t planned on telling him until now. “Aunts, uncles, cousins. A large family. None of them wanted to take me in after my parents died. They didn’t like me, didn’t _want_ me. Why is that different for anyone else?”

“That’s utter nonsense!”

Bilbo blinked, seeing Fíli glare towards him, but at least he was sure it wasn’t _at_ him. “Tons of people like you, and tons more will want you!” He argued, and he watched as Fíli’s cheeks went a little pink. “I… I mean I… kinda…”

It hit him, as Fíli continued to stutter, what exactly was being said, and he smiled, grabbing Fíli’s hand and squeezing it. “I like you too, Fee.”

The blonde blinked before he smiled back, a glassy sheen going over his eyes. “Yeah… Bee.”

They giggled at the nicknames, Bilbo’s turning into a squawk when Fíli tackled him to the ground, where they wrestled until Miss Adriel called them in for lessons.

**xxx**

The problem, Bilbo soon surmised, was that he was always right. 

Some weeks after their conversation, and a whopping five months since Bilbo first arrived at The Last Homely House, a rather expensive-looking car pulled up in front of the steps and three people stepped out. A tall businessman with close-cropped hair and a beard lead the charge, followed by a woman with equally dark hair and a younger boy who seemed to be jumping around excitedly. At first, Bilbo thought that the two adults were dropping the boy off at the orphanage, but the boy seemed far too happy about the prospect. 

As the three newcomers went inside Miss Adriel’s office, Bilbo was jerked from his thoughts when Fíli grabbed his hand and began to drag him away.

“Wha-? Fíli, what are you doing?” He asked, wincing a little when his grip tightened a bit too much.

“We’re going to hide.” Was his answer. “Those grownups are looking to take one of us.”

Bilbo blinked. “But… But Fee, don’t you wanna-?”

“ _No_!” Fíli hissed. “You saw the kid they brought, right? They’re looking for a playmate, _one_ playmate! And I don’t know about you, but if I’m ever going to get taken from here, I want to take you with me!”

What wave of happiness he felt at his words was instantly quashed when he stumbled on the stairs leading to their room. 

“Same here, Fee.” He finally managed to get out.

“I know.”

Once they got to their room, Fíli slammed the door shut and urged Bilbo up the ladder to the top bunk, where he quickly followed, locking the bars in place and throwing his blanket over them, hiding them from view.

“Are you sure this will work?” Bilbo asked, already feeling the stuffiness affect him.

“If they see how badly we’re trying to avoid them, they’ll leave us alone.” Fíli answered. “Trust me, I’ve done this before, and it worked.”

“O… Okay…”

So they hunkered down, steadying their breaths, and Bilbo tried not to fidget too much with Fíli pressed against him, still as can be. After a while, he was sure that it had worked already, for no one had come looking for them yet. As soon as Bilbo was about to ask if it was safe however, they heard the doorknob jangle and twist, Fílíi cursing about locks as it creaked open.

“Hello?”

They froze, not breathing, even as they heard slow, wary footsteps creeping towards their bunk bed.

“I can see you guys, you know!” The voice called again. “The jig’s up!”

Bilbo finally pushed up the blanket enough to see who it was, blinking when he saw it was the little boy they saw earlier with the grownups looking to adopt. 

“What are you doing here!?” Fíli snapped. “Can’t you see we’re trying to hide?”

“Mom and uncle didn’t want me to bother them when they were talking to the other grownups!” The boy explained before frowning. “Why are you hiding? Are there monsters in here?”

“Wha-? Of course not, idiot!” He cursed. “We don’t want the grownups to see us!”

“But why?” The boy asked. “Don’t you want parents?”

“Fee-!” Bilbo started as Fíli flung the blanket off to peer down at the kid.

“I don’t want parents just as much as they don’t want me!” The blonde snapped. “And Bilbo doesn’t want new ones, either!”

“Fíli!” Bilbo cried. “Don’t talk to him like that!”

“Why not?” Fíli cried back. “He’s with them, Bilbo!”

“He’s just a kid, like us!” He stated as he sat up a bit. “He has nothing to do with it. Just a bystander.”

“Bilbo-.” Fíli started, only they froze when they heard the clanking of the metal against the bed.

“Can I come up to play?” The boy asked. “I’m bored!”

“No! No, no, no!” Bilbo called, urging the boy back as he opened the bars. “It’s dangerous for more than two people to be up here! Hold on!”

“Bee, don’t-!” Fíli hissed, but Bilbo clutched his hand.

“If we don’t go down there, he’ll come up, and he’ll get hurt.” He answered sternly. “Do you want that?”

He watched Fíli bite his lip, looking angry and a little defeated. “No…”

“Okay, then.” He replied, easily stepping down the ladder to join the boy at the bottom.

“You’re Bilbo, right?” The boy asked as soon as Bilbo’s feet hit the ground. “My name’s Kíli! Do you like dragons?”

“Um… No, not really… Kíli…” He replied uneasily. 

“Why not? Dragons are awesome!” Kíli cried, waving his hands excitedly. “They breathe fire and everything!”

“That’s… that’s kinda why I don’t like them.”

Kíli frowned. “Wha…?”

“His parents died in a housefire, numbskull!”

“ _Fee_!”

“What? He asked!”

“That doesn’t mean you get to be rude!” Bilbo snapped. 

“He exposed us!” Fíli snapped right back. “I can be mad and rude as much as I-!”

“Boys.”

They all froze, turning to see Miss Adriel standing at the doorway, the man and woman from earlier two steps behind her. Bilbo swallowed, fighting the urge to glance back at Fíli as he heard him shuffle back in his bed. 

“Were… Were we too loud…?” Bilbo asked, but Miss Adriel just smiled pleasantly at him.

“Not at all.” She replied. “I’m just here for Fíli.”

Bilbo felt numb, even as he turned to see Fíli staring at her with wide eyes. It was a little shocking, as they both shared the opinion that no one would ever want to adopt them. To be honest, though, Bilbo wasn’t surprised that he was overlooked for the blonde in the top bunk, even as he went down the ladder as slowly as possible. 

He always knew he would wind up alone in the end, and even though it was hard, he still smiled at Fíli when he looked back at him as he was lead out by the grownups and Kíli. 

**xxx**

He knew what had happened when they took Fíli. He didn’t need anymore confirmation. But it really hit home for Bilbo when Fíli stormed into their room, collapsed next to him on the bed and began sobbing.

“I _hate_ them!” He cried. “They want to take me away! I don’t wanna go!”

“Fee…” Bilbo sighed, shuffling around to face Fíli, or what of him he could face. “Fee, maybe it’ll be fine-!”

“No it won’t!” Fíl snapped, and Bilbo saw how red his eyes were. “They want to take me, and make me that idiot’s brother! They’re making me go on a ‘trial’! And they’re making me leave you!”

“Fíli-.” He started again, only for Fíli to slither around and smash his wet face into his thigh.

“I don’t want to go!” He sobbed. “I don’t want to leave you! You’re my friend! My best friend! My _only_ friend!”

Bilbo felt his lips tremble, even as he played with Fíli’s hair. He knew it was coming, though he kept trying to push it from his mind. He knew that someone would come and want Fíli, leaving Bilbo all alone again. And he wanted to support Fíli’s protests. Wanted to keep him here so they could be friends for as long as possible.

But as Fíli’s sobs quieted down, Bilbo knew what the right thing to do was.

“Fíli.” He spoke softly, feeling his damp skin. “I want you to go.”

“What?” The blonde breathed. “No… No, Bilbo, don’t ask me to-! I won’t-!”

“But what if they’re the family you want?” Bilbo pressed softly. “What if you’re the boy _they_ want? What if you can be really happy with them?”

Fíli’s lips trembled and he let out a sob. “But… But what about you…?”

He shrugged. “I was alone before, and I can be alone again.” He spoke, voice crackling. “But I want you to go, and I don’t want you to come back here if you like them. Because even if I might be alone, I’ll know that you’ll be happy.”

He then hugged Fíli tightly, feeling the blonde grip him back just as hard. “And I know you’ll keep in touch, not like that one boy did with you. I know you won’t forget me.” He hiccupped. “And once I get out of here, I’ll track you down and we can be friends without having to worry about anyone taking us away from each other ever again.”

“Not if I track you down first!” Fíli sobbed. “I promise to write! I promise to call! And I promise that I won’t forget you, Bilbo Boggins!”

Bilbo laughed, even though it sounded horrible. “It’s Baggins!” He corrected. “And I’ll hold you to it.”

So when the grownups came for Fíli the next day, Bilbo didn’t cry too hard. For he knew Fíli would at least try to be happy. That he would have a family that would love him, like his parents did when he was alive.

Even if it meant that he was all alone again.

**xxx**

Two months had passed, and since then, there had been a couple of letters sent back and forth between Bilbo and Fíli. Bilbo was glad, for the letters reminded him that, despite his solitude, he still had a friend. Still had someone who cared about him, even if Kíli seemed to have gotten a hold of the letters and scribbled over half of them.

A little redhead named Ori took Fíli’s place as Bilbo’s roommate, and while he was nice, and they had a number of shared interests, he wasn’t Fíli. No one could be Fíli. 

“A new guy!” Ori cried one day from his seat by the window, causing Bilbo to look up from his book. “Doesn’t look like he’s here to adopt any of us, though.”

“Really?” Bilbo asked, walking over to join Ori by the window. “Why not?”

“Well, look!”

Bilbo looked, and he gaped as he saw an old man step out of a beat-up convertible wearing a worn gray hat and an even more worn gray jacket. He knew that old man, or at least he used to. He had seen him on numerous occasions talking with his mother. Sat on his lap as he told stories about his travels.

“I know him…!” Bilbo breathed, running out of the room before he could stop to think, barely hearing Ori cry out to him in question. 

He ran, down the stairs and through the halls, only to stop when he reached the long hallway leading to the front door, seeing the old man speak with Miss Adriel. He watched her walk quickly to her office, and Bilbo hesitated, wanting to run right back to his room and hide, like he had done with Fíli, but when the old man looked at him, he stopped. For he really did know him, and he knew that smile, even though it was heavily laced with tears.

“Gandalf…?” He asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

“Bilbo…”

Something crumbled at that voice, the voice he thought was just a dream, and he sobbed, blindly running down the hall towards Gandalf, leaping into his thin, strong arms as they took him up readily. 

“Oh, Bilbo, my dear boy…” Gandalf breathed in his ear as Bilbo sobbed in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry…”

“You’re late!” Bilbo huffed, looking at those familiar eyes as they crinkled in a sad smile.

Usually, Gandalf would refute such claims. He would say he had arrived precisely when he was meant to, causing everyone to laugh. 

This time, however, Gandalf just tightened his hold. “I know.” He said. “And I promise not to do it ever again.”

**xxx**

It was hard to gather all of the details, but Bilbo didn’t really pay attention. It had seemed that his parents had made Gandalf his guardian in a will they drew up some time ago, in case of emergencies. His relatives, wanting nothing at all to do with Bilbo, didn’t contact Gandalf until the man showed up some months ago, demanding what had happened and where Bilbo had gone. 

But Bilbo didn’t need to know the finer details, for all he cared to absorb was the fact that Gandalf was _there_ , and that he was going to live with him. 

Yes, it was old, and there was still some things that needed to be worked out, but as Bilbo said his farewells to the grownups and his fellow children, he only made sure that Miss Adriel knew to inform Fíli of his change of address.

Fíli…

He hoped that Fíli wasn’t living too far. Perhaps he could visit and see how he was managing. It seemed that things were going well, for Fíli never complained about much in his letters. But he never knew.

As Gandalf and Bilbo drove, he felt a little pang. If Fíli hadn’t been adopted when he had been, perhaps Gandalf could’ve adopted him as well. They wouldn’t have to be apart at all. They could’ve been brothers…

He pushed those thoughts aside when Gandalf pulled into the driveway, deciding to ask Gandalf later if he could help in finding Fíli so he could visit. But just as he was getting out of the car, he gave a start, seeing a man standing in the yard of the house next door.

It was the businessman. The one that was there with the woman and Kíli. The ones that took Fíli in. 

“I was right, then.” The businessman stated in a firm voice, watching Bilbo as he heard Gandalf shut the car doors.

“Yes, you were.” Gandalf replied, smiling down at Bilbo who looked at him in question. “Bilbo, this is Thorin Durin. You probably saw him some time ago when his sister adopted a boy from the orphanage you were staying at. He helped me find you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet the godchild of Gandalf Grey, Mister Baggins.” Thorin stated, stepping forward and holding out a rather massive hand that Bilbo shook slowly. 

“You… You know where Fíli is?”

Thorin grinned. “My sister and I live together right over there.” He answered. “In fact, Fíli’s inside with Kíli right now.”

Hope burned in his heart and he blinked when Gandalf patted his shoulder. 

“He was a friend, I take it.” He said, smiling. “I don’t think Mister Durin would mind if you went for a visit.”

Bilbo swallowed, looking up at Mister Durin. “M-May I please visit Fíli, sir?” He asked as politely as he could manage. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

Thorin and Gandalf both chucked. “Of course you can.” Thorin said. “I’m sure your bags can wait.”

Bilbo looked at Gandalf, who nodded and followed Bilbo as he himself followed Thorin across the yard and into the house. The moment he stepped in, he slowed down, for he heard a familiar voice shout and laugh in a room at the left. Suddenly, he was very nervous and wanted very much to run. Perhaps Fíli didn’t expect to see Bilbo again? Maybe he didn’t _want_ to see him again. He might not remember him. Might not care. Even with the letters they exchanged, perhaps Fíli didn’t really want Bilbo around at all, and that thought hurt.

Thorin turned, and Bilbo jumped when his voice bellowed throughout the house. 

“What did I tell you two about running in the house?” He shouted. “And with guns, no less!”

“They’re toy guns, uncle!” Kíli’s voice protested. “And it was Fíli’s idea!”

“It was not!”

“Was too!”

“Was-!”

“Enough!” Thorin cut in, and Bilbo heard Gandalf chuckling behind him. “We have guests, one of them being someone I think you’d very much like to see.”

“Who?”

Bilbo swallowed as Thorin looked down at him, urging him forward. Warily, he turned the corner, seeing Fíli and Kíli standing at opposite sides of a coffee table with brightly-colored guns in their hands. He barely noticed Kíli, for he was more focused on Fíli, who was just staring at him.

“H-Hello…” He muttered, trying and failing to smile.

It didn’t seem to matter, for whatever he must’ve done seemed to break whatever spell Fíli was under, for he dropped the gun in his hand with a loud clatter and rushed him.

“ _Bilbo_!” He cried, and Bilbo didn’t care that he was tackled to the floor, for Fíli was hugging him, sounding happy that he was there. He hugged right back, even as Kíli ran over to his uncle.

“Is Bilbo our brother now, too?” He asked, causing Fíli to look up, their faces falling when Thorin shook his head.

“Not your brother, but your neighbor.” He answered. “Bilbo’s going to be living next door with Mister Grey.”

Fíli looked down at him. “Is that true, Bilbo?”

Bilbo nodded. “Mister Gandalf was my mother’s friend. He found me and agreed to take me in.” He explained. “I… I’ll be living close by, now. If… if that’s okay…”

“Okay? It’s _more_ than okay!” Kíli cried, falling to his knees next to them. “Fíli will stop sulking now!”

“It’s fantastic!” Fíli cried, even as he playfully shoved Kíli’s shoulder and pulled Bilbo up, only to hug him even more tightly, which he returned readily.

Now, Bilbo didn’t have to worry about Fíli, and he certainly didn’t have to worry about being alone. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be alone again for a long, _long_ time.

“Fee?”

“Yeah, Bee?”

“I tracked you down first.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next is In a Band...
> 
> ... Hmm...


End file.
